1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to an automotive vehicle seat having a contoured foam pad encased by a trim cover. More particularly, the invention relates to an attachment device for securing the trim cover to the foam pad.
2. Description of Related Art
Upholstered seats, including automotive vehicle seats are well known in the art. Automotive vehicle seats include a seat cushion and a seat back for supporting a seat occupant. Typically, the construction of each of the seat cushion and seat back includes a rigid frame structure for supporting a contoured foam pad encased by a trim cover that is tightly conformed to the contour of the foam pad. Typical materials for the trim cover include cloth, vinyl and leather. The trim cover should be easily and inexpensively attached to the foam pad, but should resist developing problems such as wrinkling and shifting around on the foam pad. Grooves may be provided in the foam pad to provide an attractive appearance to the seat and, sometimes, to define a junction where adjacent sections of the trim cover come together.
In the prior art, there are many different approaches for attaching the trim cover to the foam pad. Some of the more common approaches include the use of hog rings, VELCRO®, various clips, and adhesives. While these previous approaches tend to satisfy the function of attaching the trim cover to the foam pad without much wrinkling or shifting, they are expensive and can be labor intensive.
It is desirable, therefore, to provide attachment of a trim cover to a foam pad that is inexpensive, easily and quickly performed, with great accuracy and reproducibility. It is further desirable to provide attachment of adjacent sections of a trim cover to a foam pad along a predefined groove.